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WMMN-TV
WMMN-TV, virtual channel 9 (UHF digital channel 19), is an NBC-affiliated television licensed to Mattupolis, Mattula, United States. The station is owned by the GamerCraft Broadcast Group subsidiary of GamerCraft, as part of a duopoly with Mattula Beach-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WMMT (channel 50, which WMMN simulcasts on its second subchannel). The two stations share studios on the Mattupolis Bay Studios in Mattupolis; the two stations share the studios with former LMA sister station and ITV affiliate WMUT-TV (channel 8), which GamerCraft had to sell to purchase WMMN-TV's parent company and LMA partner Craftsman Media. History In New Years Day, 1949, channel 9 signed-on as WMTP-TV. It was owned by United Independent Broadcasters II, a company founded by New York City talent-agent Arthur Judson as its second incarnation since William S. Paley purchased the first one in September 1927 and became CBS. UIB II purchased WMTP radio (850 AM and 95.1 FM, now WXCV) in 1934. The station became a primary ABC affiliate, owing to WMTP radio's affiliation with the (NBC) Blue Network, and also carried secondary affiliations with NBC, CBS, and DuMont. When WMLA-TV (channel 2, now a CBS affiliate) signed-on in 1954 and took the NBC affiliation (owing to WMLA radio's affiliation with NBC Red), WMTP-TV shared ABC with that station until WGER-TV (channel 7) signed-on in 1957 and took the ABC affiliation, owing to WMTP radio's displacement by WGER as the ABC Radio affiliate. The affiliation with DuMont ended in 1955 when DuMont stopped airing of new episodes of shows; the network ceased operations in 1956. The station also took a secondary affiliation with the NTA Film Network during its run; after it ceased operations, channel 9 became an exclusive CBS affiliate. Judson closed down UIB II and sold WMTP-AM-FM-TV in 1970 to Craftsman Newspapers, which owned the newspaper The Mattupolis Times, as well as inactive licenses for channel 10 and 1060 kHz. Both construction permits had to be sold to the Mattupolis News Company, which owned competing newspaper The Mattupolis News. The radio license signed on in 1975 as WTMT (the News wanted to link the station to its roots as a license owned by the Times) and the TV license signed on in 1980 as WMUT-TV, which would later move to channel 8 in 2001. In the 1970s, WMTP-TV signed on translator W14MT (channel 14) in Miner County to reach the area as the station's signal is marginal because of possible interference with Endreaville, Welter's then-CBS affiliate WEND-TV (now a fellow NBC affiliate). NBC affiliation In 1979, Kinnan Broadcasting signed a deal with CBS to affiliate its Mattula and Welter stations, including future Endreaville sister station MSWT-TV (now WSOE-TV), to the network. Both CBS and Kinnan hesitated at first on struggling flagship WMLA-TV, which itself is an also-ran, and CBS didn't want to leave channel 9, but when Craftsman promised a better news commitment to NBC to improve ratings, CBS accepted the move to channel 2. The switch took place which saw WMTP-TV taking the NBC affiliation and change its callsign to WMMN-TV (taking note of the new affiliation) and WMLA-TV taking the CBS affiliation (it later became a Fox affiliate in 1995, swapping with former repeater WMLC (channel 19), but returned to CBS in 2009, reversing the swap). In 1986, the station signed on translator W33MT (channel 33, now repeater WMTP-LD) in Ocean County. It was not required by the FCC to change callsigns when Craftsman, which had grandfathered protection for its ownership of the stations and the Times, sold WMTP to Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) and WMTP-FM to Bonneville International, which changed its callsign to WXCV. The former WMTP-FM is currently a sister station to aforementioned WTMT and formerly, WMUT-TV. Local marketing agreements, later outright purchases, and later acquisition by GamerCraft WMMN-TV owner Craftsman entered into a local marketing agreement with Mattula Beach Broadcasting and then-WB affiliate WLML (channel 50, now MyNetworkTV affiliate WMMT), which resulted in its callsign change to its current one and the move of UPN, which channel 9 had been airing during late-night hours since its inception in 1995, to channel 50. In order to keep UPN coverage to Ocean County, WMMN-TV and WMTP-LP opened their second digital subchannels as repeaters of WMMT; Craftsman bought WMMT outright in 2001 and the secondary UPN affiliation went back when WMMT joined MyNetworkTV. In 2003, Craftsman entered into a new local marketing agreement with ITV affiliate WMUT-TV's owner WNT Broadcasting (now GamerCraft Broadcast Group; part of WNT Limited, now GamerCraft). In 2019, Craftsman was acquired by GamerCraft, which had to sell WMUT-TV to E-Media. In January 22, 2020, GamerCraft announced its deals with iHeartMedia and Bonneville International to purchase WMTP (and the current WMTP-FM, a WMTP satellite), WTMT, and WXCV (the former WMTP-FM). Should this acquisition be approved by the FCC, not only that channel 9 will reunite with its former radio sisters (with speculation that the station will return to the original WMTP-TV call letters), but also returning WTMT to common ownership with its former license holder's assets. Digital television The station's digital channel is multiplexed: Programming Syndicated programming Syndicated programs include NBC-distributed Access Hollywood, Judge Jerry and Maury, CBS-distributed Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud, and reruns of The Simpsons. They also air the ''Redding'' television series, which is produced and distributed by The Matthews Company, in which GamerCraft is having merger talks with. Newscasts WMMN-TV currently airs 45 hours of news programming a week, consisting of 6 1/2 hours a day Mondays to Saturdays, and 6 hours Sundays. They also produce 8 1/2 hours a day of newscasts for sister station WMMT, consisting of full-hour 11:00am and 10:00pm and half-hour 5:30pm and 6:30pm newscasts, as well as a five-hour extension of their morning newscast WMMN Today. Notable former on-air staff Red Gordonia - anchor/reporter (1988-1994, now CEO and owner of parent company GamerCraft) Category:NBC affiliates Category:Former CBS affiliates Category:Former ABC affiliates Category:Television channels and stations established in 1949 Category:Television stations in the Mattupolis market